Every once in a while the planets will align and gift you with a unique experience. I had once such experience recently when Bruce Wright of Almar Orchards (think of the delicious J.K.'s Scrumpy Hard Cider) and Luke Fenton of Scotland's Thistly Cross Cider were visiting New Mexico for promotions and tastings.

BrewChief, being a big fan of J.K.'s various ciders, had chatted with Bruce on several occasions. He was aware that BrewChief had recently relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico and decided it would be fun to meet up. And so we did.

So there we were, hanging out at the Albuquerque Press Club chatting about cider and enjoying each other's company. Luke had brought several Thistly Cross ciders to try, one of which was their Whisky Cask Cider, a delicious concoction aged in Glen Moray whisky casks. It had a subtle oaky flavor with mild spice and was a highlight of the evening.

Cider talk with cider masters over great cider and artisan pizza was already a hell of a way to enjoy an evening. What made it particularly memorable was the fact that this evening was the Scottish Independence vote. Luke being Scottish and Bruce having dual Scottish citizenship meant that all eyes were on the television screens as votes were being tallied. Cider talk was blended with Scottish politics, which made for a very interesting discussion.

Regardless of the interesting mishmash of conversation, one thing was made abundantly clear: Thistly Cross makes some damn fine cider. I was very happy to learn that thanks to their cooperative promotional efforts with Almar Orchards, I can now acquire their nectar in New Mexico. To the beer store!